Nas Talks Twelfth Studio Album, 2012 Highlights & Lauryn Hill

Escobar discusses his next studio album, Lauryn Hill and his favourite albums of 2012.

Not six months after releasing his eleventh studio album Life Is Good, Nasty Nas is already back in the studio working on his twelfth, showing no signs of slowing down.

In an interview with the Associated Press, when asked if he was working on new music, Nas responded in earnest: "Yes. It has started. I must tell you. I can’t stop now. I’m in a great zone." He didn't elaborate further, but this is promising news.

Amidst questions concerning Life Is Good and his life history, he also spoke admirably of Lauryn Hill, whom he recently toured with.

"She’s almost like someone from a different era. She possesses this aura of someone like Roberta Flack, Nina Simone - it’s almost like you’re with them, on tour with that person. And sometimes it’s even more advanced for the audience. The audience is used to dealing with microwave music, so to have someone like Ms. Lauryn Hill onstage, they might not understand, they haven’t seen artists like that before, and I feel like I’m with someone that’s, like, beyond me."

The critically-acclaimed Life Is Good is nominated for Best Rap Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, going up against Drake'sTake Care, Rick Ross'God Forgives, I Don't, The Roots'Undun, 2 Chainz'Based On A T.R.U. Story and Lupe Fiasco'sFood & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1. It had sold 333,000 copies in the US as of November 25, and charted for 16 weeks on the Billboard 200.